India jumped three rungs to be placed 102nd in the first FIFA rankings of the year released on Thursday.
India, who are just above 103rd placed Qatar, are ranked 14th among Asian countries. India garnered 13 points in the last one month for a total of 333 points.
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The Indians remained unbeaten in 2017, having won seven of their nine matches while two ended in draws.
India had also qualified for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. The top 14 spots remained unchanged with reigning World Champions Germany at the top followed by Brazil, Portugal, Argentina and Belgium.
Iran are the top-ranked Asian team at the 34th position.
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South Korea started the new year as the world’s 59th-placed football team in the FIFA rankings.
According to the January men’s rankings table released by FIFA on Thursday, South Korea moved up one spot to No.59 with 569 points. South Korea were the world’s 37th-ranked team one year ago, reports Yonhap news agency.
{{/usCountry}}According to the January men’s rankings table released by FIFA on Thursday, South Korea moved up one spot to No.59 with 569 points. South Korea were the world’s 37th-ranked team one year ago, reports Yonhap news agency.
{{/usCountry}}Having qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, South Korea had the fourth highest position among Asian Football Confederation (AFC) members.
Iran fell two spots to No.34, but remained the top-ranked Asian team. Australia jumped two spots to No.36, while Japan climbed a spot to No. 56.
Germany, one of South Korea’s Group F opponents at the World Cup in Russia, stayed at No.1. Mexico slipped one spot to 17th, while Sweden remained at 18th.
South Korea, led by head coach Shin Tae-yong, will open pre-World Cup training camp in Antalya, Turkey, next week. During their two-week training, South Korea are scheduled to play friendly matches with Moldova, Jamaica and Latvia.
Jamaica had the highest ranking among the three at 55th, followed by Latvia at 133th and Moldova at 166th, according to the new rankings.
Poland and Northern Ireland, two teams that South Korea will face in March friendlies, were ranked eighth and 25th, respectively.